East Ham men jailed following court corruption investigation
Haroon Hussain and Naeem Hasan - Credit: MPS
Two men from East Ham were jailed today as part of an investigation into misconduct in public office at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court.
The prosecutions mark the culmination of Operation Theemin – a long-running investigation by Redbridge CID into a corrupt court clerk who received bribes to remove defendants’ motoring fines and licence points.
Haroon Hussain, 30, and Naeem Hasan, 25, were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court today after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice on Friday, September 25.
Hussain, of Elizabeth Road, was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment and disqualified from driving for six months.
Hasan, of Eversleigh Road, was jailed for 10 months and disqualified from driving for six months.
Also sentenced was Mohammed Babar, 34, of Twickenham Road, Greenford, in Ealing, who had pleaded guilty on June 16 to perverting the course of justice.
He was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment and disqualified from driving for six months.
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In August 2011 officers began investigating claims that a court clerk at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court was accepting payments for ensuring motoring prosecutions were not recorded.
Munir Patel, now aged 26, of Green Lane, Dagenham, was caught promising to remove a penalty charge from a motorist for £500.
In November 2011 he was jailed for six years for misconduct in a public office and bribery.
Further enquiries led to 46 people being arrested.
In total 30 were charged with offences including perverting the course of justice, bribery and conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.
Twenty-two people were convicted at court; seven were found not guilty and one man was charged but later no evidence was offered by the Crown Prosecution Service.
One woman and 14 men were released with no further action to date.
Det Supt Stewart Hill, who led Operation Theemin, said: “This has been a long, protracted and complex investigation.
“These final sentences reflect the professionalism and dedication of Redbridge borough detectives who have achieved significant convictions over the course of the investigation.”
